TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp sat across the table from Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini in New Jersey and landed the first blow in the war of words ahead of the ­Premier League season.

The pair were at either end of a top-table discussion ahead of the four-team Barclays New York Challenge tournament, also involving NY Red Bulls and Sporting Lisbon, and Redknapp heard Mancini say: “Everything is possible,” when asked about transfer targets.

He may have had the name badge “Harry RedKnapp, Tottenham Hotspurs” in front of him but, after a summer spent enjoying the sense of achievement in pipping City to the lucrative fourth Champions League spot, it was still the same old Harry.

Mind games are often about ramping up the pressure on your rivals and the crafty Redknapp could not resist throwing down the gauntlet to the man he avoids in this pre-season friendly tournament, but who he is set to meet on the season’s opening day.

Redknapp said: “If I went out now and brought in the four players I wanted from anywhere, we would win the title. If we went out and bought four world-class players, no matter what the price, we would have a fantastic chance.

“Manchester City will be a massive factor in the title race this season. They will eventually win the championship, whether it is this year, next year or the year after. It is only a matter of time until they win the Premier League – that’s my opinion. They have got such tremendous backing.

“And there is every chance it will be this season. They are only going to get stronger.

“We know they are strong and have a good squad anyway and they can keep bringing in the best players. It has happened before. Chelsea came in and Roman Abramovich brought in the best players and they won the championship. Now Manchester City have every chance.”

That is not to say that Redknapp is writing off his side’s own chances. Last year, in his pre-season meeting with the players, he told them that the holy grail of fourth place was up for grabs.

During their pre-season tour of the States he has been telling them that, if they shoot for the top spot, miracles might just happen.

“You have to aim to win the title,” he said. “Last year we went in saying we wanted to finish in the top four and, if you don’t aim for things, you have no chance.

“I would say it would take something very special for a team like Tottenham to win the Premier League. The ability to bring in top, top players gives you that extra yard.

“But somebody has got to do it. It can’t all just be Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.”

And this is where the motivation lies for Redknapp, that and his belief in the talent he has at his disposal. He said: “I feel we could contend for the title. We have got the players here. We have to aim for it. We could win the championship – it is not impossible.”

And with a two-legged Champions League qualifier to reach the group stages following hot on the heels of the City game at White Hart Lane on August 14, Tottenham will be using these two games against NY Red Bulls tonight and Sporting Lisbon on Sunday to help them hit the ground running.

“The Champions League is massive,” he said. “Forget budgets – we just want to be there. If we can get into the group stages, we can make an impact. We have good players – some fantastic ones at our club. And they can get better. That is why you need a strong squad. We are going to have to rotate at times – we cannot play the best players all the time. I still feel that, if we can bring one or two players in, it will make a difference, but it is a strong squad.”

When trying to compete with the big boys in the transfer market, Redknapp is hamstrung by the limited purse strings at White Hart Lane and the really big names – even those players he knows well – cannot be lured to Tottenham. Joe Cole is a case in point, joining Liverpool on £90,000 a week.

“We cannot do that without breaking the bank and then you are going to put the club in trouble, going into hock,” said Redknapp.

“We don’t want to do that, it is not our way. We are not going to go crazy and spend £200,000 a week to sign players. We were disappointed to miss out on Joe Cole because he was a great free transfer and he must have had a better offer from Liverpool. I signed him when he was 11 and he is an excellent player.

“I don’t know why he decided to go to Liverpool. I spoke to him a month ago and I thought he was coming here. He wanted to come to Tottenham. He had made up his mind – I had no doubt about that. But a month went by and, by that time, Liverpool had moved in and maybe jumped the queue a bit.

“I’m sure if Joe says it is football reasons, it is. Liverpool are a fantastic club. They seem to be a real threat again. The year before last, they lost only two games. Last year, they had one bad season by their standards.”‘If we bought four world-class players, we’d win the league’